Introducing Keyboarding

One of my responsibilities is to introduce keyboarding, even to our kindergarten and first-graders, and a large challenge is to get the kids to type with two hands. In addition to using some keyboarding software that divides our keyboard into left- and right-handed keys, I cut a piece of chenille stem (pipe-cleaner) to a length slightly longer than the width of the keyboard. Before the kinder- and first-graders come to the lab, I gently wedge the stem between the 5 and 6 keys and the B and N keys, effectively dividing the keyboard down the middle. Now when they type, I can keep reminding them 'Don't let your fingers jump the fence', and they have a good visible reminder of exactly where that 'fence' is. It also makes it much more obvious to me, from a distance, who is still 'crossing over'.

[Poll name]

Email A Friend

Send This article to:

Enter the e-mail address of the recipient. Multiple addresses need to be separated by commas (200 characters max).

Add your message (optional):

Enter your e-mail address (required):

NEA respects your privacy! Your e-mail address, and that of your recipient, will be used only in the case of transmission errors and to let the recipient know who sent the story. The information will not be used for any other purpose.